Commander of scandal-hit Ukrainian brigade detained, accused of failing to report desertions

The commander of a scandal-hit Ukrainian brigade has been detained, accused of failing to report violations in his unit, the State Bureau of Investigation said on Jan. 20.

The 155th "Anne of Kyiv" Brigade was intended to be a flagship project for Ukrainian brigades trained and armed with the assistance of foreign partners.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced in June that France would provide training and military supplies as part of this initiative.

Despite Paris fulfilling its commitments for training and arms provision, an investigation led by Yurii Butusov, editor-in-chief of Ukrainian media outlet Censor.net, claimed soldiers of the unit, currently deployed near Pokrovsk, have suffered losses and gone AWOL (absent without leave) in large numbers due to poor command and organization within Ukraine’s military leadership.

The State Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into the unit on Jan. 3.

In a statement on Jan 20, the bureau said the commander "did not respond to violations in his unit, including the unauthorized abandonment of the military unit by his fighters."

"The commander also deliberately failed to perform other actions assigned to him by his official duties. In particular, during 2024, he did not send a single report to pre-trial investigation bodies regarding subordinate servicemen who committed criminal offenses," it added.

If found guilty, the commander faces up to 10 years in prison.

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The 155th Brigade has about 5,800 troops, fewer than 2,000 of whom have undergone training in France. It is armed with French AMX10 armored vehicles, Caesar howitzers, and German Leopard 2A4 tanks, among other weapons.

According to Butusov's investigation, the unit's founding was "organizational chaos" from the very beginning. Even before the training in France began, 2,500 service members were reportedly sent to other units, thus removing many of the most qualified personnel from the brigade.

Of the 1,924 soldiers eventually sent to France, only 51 had more than a year of military service, while 1,414 had served for less than two months, Butusov wrote.

The unit was also plagued by large numbers of soldiers going AWOL — about 50 deserted in France, in addition to hundreds who left their posts even before the unit was deployed at the front, according to the journalist.

Between March and November, over 1,700 soldiers had gone AWOL, Butusov reported.

Though the unit was replenished with new recruits, these often did not undergo a "proper selection process," the journalist added.

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